I'm fast...wait!

Yesterday in Walla Walla was magical. Staying at this wonderful B&B in the surreal wheat fields around the town, I found zen. I used this as my base to do my training rides, tour some wineries, then find great food. Waking at areus in walla walla gave me so much peace, that I had no desire to check my emails until Monday morning. Hmmmmm.

But I must tell you about my ride!
So Saturday morning, I have a lovely little breakfast, suit up and head out to Waitsburg (this amazing little town in the middle of now where; actually between Clarkston and Lewiston on the Lewis and Clark trail (now isn't that cute? - I digress).
I head out for the 38 miles race course with 2600 feet of climbing. It was a brisk 55 degrees, puffy clouds - oh and wind; lots of wind. My ride out I was FLYING! Looking down it was 27 mph and uphill was nearly 17-18mph. I'm thinking... I'm so fast, I'm so strong, hell yeah! Woooo Hooooo! My heart raced at this new found fitness; a rocket I was. I had visions of riding off the front in this race. I managed to miss a turn and went about 5 miles further...

THEN, reality set in.

HOLY CRAP, what a freakin' head wind. I finally pointed my bicycle back toward Waitsburg and if I could have tacked on those roadways with the 35mph+ head wind I would have. The wind was so awful, my ears began to hurt with the noise. My speed declined to 11-12 and in some cases 6mph as I struggled to just stay upright. 20 miles in a fierce headwind was a killer and I cursed the course. I thought, if the headwind is like this in two weeks, and I lose the peloton, I'm headed to the wineries and putting my feet up at the spa. Hmmmm. Here are some pictures from my experience this weekend. I had the place to myself; no LCD's, no wifi, no cell service, just me, the yoga studio, my yoga mat, the birds and the endless view of wheat fields. I can't wait to go back when the fields are in full height.

bubbly fountains outside the yoga studio.
A place to watch the world go by....

View from my bathroom; notice the cool agrarian life beyond the modernized yet tasteful zen foreground.